Cowboys vs Eagles: 6 things to know about the Week 9 opponent

Things couldn’t have started any better for the Dallas Cowboys coming out of their bye week; a blowout win in a game where everything came together.

It was nice to have a complete team win, but reality is just around the corner with the rival Philadelphia Eagles next on the schedule. First place in the NFC East isn’t exactly on the line since the Eagles will have played an extra game, but beating the team you’re competing with for divisional supremacy will only help down the line.

Things won’t be as easy in Week 9 as the Cowboys hit the road and play on natural grass for the third time this season, where they are 0-2 thus far. The Cowboys and Eagles didn’t play with both of their respective starting quarterbacks in either of last year’s contests, so this is a much-anticipated matchup.

Here are six things to know about the Week 9 opponent for the Cowboys.

Have league's best record over last year and a half

The Eagles will come into this game with the NFL’s best record at 7-1, but they also have the top record in the league since the 2022 season began, going 21-4. While it’s an impressive record, things haven’t been as easy for the Eagles this year as they were last year.

In 2022, the Eagles were winning games before the fourth quarter, but this year they have only three wins where the margin was over a touchdown. There have been close calls against the Washington Commanders (twice) and Minnesota Vikings, which is intriguing since neither team is above .500 on the season.

The Eagles are undefeated at home (3-0) and are coming off their best win of the season the last time they played at Lincoln Financial Field.

They aren’t dominating the way they did most of last season, but the Eagles are still among the teams to be considered best in the league halfway through the year. At 7-1, it’s going to be a tough game for the Cowboys, who need to prove they can hang with the big boys. A test they failed a few weeks ago.

Jalen Hurts is coming in hot through the air

Much like the entire team, Hurts’ play hasn’t matched last year, but the quarterback is coming into this game hot. Against the Commanders last week, Hurts has his best game of the 2023 campaign, throwing for 319 yards and four touchdowns.

Hurts also didn’t throw an interception for the first time in three games, and he had thrown a pick in five of his last six outings heading into the game.

While Hurts was beating the Commanders with his arm, he rarely used his legs. Hurts had a season low in rushing attempts (4) and yards (6).

With his dual-threat ability, Hurts is one of the more difficult QBs to defend, but he’s been dealing with a knee injury in the last few weeks. Hurts has been wearing a knee brace and reportedly has a bone bruise.

If Hurts isn’t running as much, the Cowboys will need to be prepared for him to throw the ball more often, and he’s getting hot at the right time.

But no one is as hot as A.J. Brown

Part of the reason Hurts was so good last week was because of the work that wide receiver A.J. Brown put in. The veteran WR caught all eight of his targets for 130 yards and two scores in the win over the Commanders.

This hasn’t been a one week thing for Brown, he enters this game as the hottest WR in the league with a record six straight games with at least 125+ yards receiving.

Brown is second in the league in receiving yards (939), second in yards per game (117.4), second in first downs (43), and fourth in receptions (60). There haven’t been many balls that Brown hasn’t come down with, even in tight coverage, in the last six weeks.

The Cowboys will have their work cut out for them to slow down one of the league’s best receivers.

Tough defense to run on

Philadelphia’s defense is one of the best units in the league, they are talented and have impressive depth to keep players fresh throughout the game. One of the areas where they thrive is stopping the run, the Eagles lead the NFL in rush defense, allowing just 65.5 yards a game.

The Eagles have only allowed one team to run for over 100 yards on the year, the Commanders ran for 107 yards in Week 4, and have given up just three rushing touchdowns. In Week 7, against the best rushing team in the league, the Miami Dolphins, the Eagles allowed just 45 yards on the ground.

Dallas’ running game has stalled after a good start to the year and are running for just over 117.1 ypg game, good for 11th in the league.

The Eagles have one of the best pass rushing defenses in the game, the Cowboys can counter that aggressiveness by running it efficiently and staying out of obvious passing situations. If the Eagles force the Cowboys into becoming a one-dimensional offense, it might be a long day at the office.

Rushing game is tough to stop

The Eagles have a great offense that can be difficult to limit, beating defenses through the air and on the ground. With Hurts running the ball it makes them more dangerous, but with his health and knee in question, the bulk of the work will likely go to D’Andre Swift. The Eagles are seventh in the league in rushing yards but have been even more difficult to stop with Swift getting the carries.

Swift is fourth in the league in rushing yards (571) and ranks fifth among running backs in yards per carry, picking up 4.9 yards a tote.  Swift had two 130-plus yard rushing performances early in the season, but has since slowed down.

As the lead RB in Philadelphia, Swift hasn’t gotten more than 17 carries in five straight weeks, but if the offense is committed to giving him the touches, Swift is a threat. The Cowboys are 18th in the league against the run, allowing close to 109 yards a game, and the Eagles will likely test Dallas’ rushing defense in this matchup.

Dominant in the trenches

The Eagles have one of the best offensive and defensive lines in the league. Their starting five offensive line does well in protecting the quarterback, as well as opening up holes in the running game. Philadelphia is third in scoring, third in total yards on offense, which includes being seventh in passing and rushing yards per game, which doesn’t happen if you don’t have a great offensive line.

Even without starting right guard Cam Jurgens, the Eagles still have three Pro Bowl offensive lineman, which includes two All-Pro players in right tackle Lane Johnson and center Jason Kelce. It’s a unit that works well together and routinely wins the line of scrimmage.

On defense, the Eagles boasts depth and quality in the trenches. Including the linebackers who are attacking the quarterback off the edges, the Eagles have a rotation of eight or nine defensive linemen who wreak havoc on offenses. Veterans Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham are still solid players leading the way for a star DL group that includes edge rushers Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, and rookie Nolan Smith.

On the inside rookie Jalen Carter has been playing like a Defensive Rookie of the Year candidate and second-year defensive tackle Jordan Davis is difficult to move.

It’s a ridiculous defensive line that comes at offenses in waves and keeps bodies fresh with their rotation. That has helped the Eagles’ defense close out games this season with their pass rush.

This will have to be the best game for the Cowboys on both sides of the ball in the trenches, or they won’t have much of a chance to leave Philadelphia a winner.

Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire